Rafael Villalobos wants every child in a seat when the school year opens Thursday, August 13. That includes the children of immigrant families facing federal enforcement pressure.
At his first press conference as superintendent-designate on Wednesday, July 29, Villalobos laid out a four-phase, 100-day plan and made a pointed promise: the district will "welcome every single child into our schools."
"Our main focus and our priority is to make sure that children are in seats learning, and that they feel safe and secure in our schools," Villalobos told reporters, according to the Miami Herald.
The pledge came one day after Temporary Protected Status expired for Haitian immigrants, a change affecting roughly 350,000 people nationally, many in South Florida. For Aventura-area families whose children attend schools under Villalobos's new leadership, including Aventura City of Excellence School, Don Soffer Aventura High School, and Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High, the message is direct: school doors stay open.
The 100-day plan
Villalobos's roadmap, published on his campaign website and grounded in the trust-building research of Canadian educator Michael Fullan, breaks into four stages: meeting school communities across the district, building an academics strategy, addressing operations and finance, and integrating all three.
He acknowledged his career has been rooted in South Dade and said getting to know the northern end of the county is his first order of business.
He said at the press conference that his first priority is getting to know "the entire community, from County Line Road all the way to Florida City," including students, teachers, staff, business partners, and colleges, as reported by WLRN. That includes the Aventura corridor.
Enrollment and teacher pay
Villalobos identified declining enrollment as the district's "greatest issue." The numbers are stark. M-DCPS lost about 13,000 students in 2025-2026, and projections show another 8,000 leaving for the coming year, dropping traditional public school enrollment to roughly 217,100. Private-school voucher use is projected to climb by 10,000 students to 82,500, according to district projections reported by the Herald.
On teacher salaries, Villalobos said he wants educators paid at the top given Miami's cost of living but tempered expectations, noting budget constraints. He told reporters he would need to see the district's fiscal position before committing to a specific raise.
The United Teachers of Dade welcomed his selection, saying in a statement that Villalobos knows the district's schools, educators, and students firsthand, and that the union looks forward to working with him to strengthen public education.
The Miami-Dade School Board unanimously selected Villalobos on July 29. Board Chair Mari Tere Rojas is now negotiating his contract. Current Superintendent Jose Dotres remains in the role through February 14, 2027.
The school board is expected to meet Wednesday, August 19 to discuss salary negotiations and the leadership transition. The first day of school is Thursday, August 13.
